Social Change Vocabulary

It’s important to learn this social change vocabulary if
you want to understand or participate in discussions of government policy,
politics, and business, as well as economics, history, sociology, and
anthropology. These words are used very frequently to describe variations in human societies in different places and periods.

Read about the differences in meaning
between several different words for change. Then check out some of their other common
forms and some frequently-used phrases (collocations.) There's also a link to a crossword puzzle to practice this (and other) change vocabulary.

This social change vocabulary is used in an interesting and important talk
about the institutions, attitudes, and changes that make prosperity possible, The
6 Killer Apps of Prosperity. Reading it demonstrates how these words can be
used to analyze societies and their changes.

Differences
Between Words Describing Change

To cause change:

to alter- to make changes in something

to amend- to make changes (often in a document)
to correct problems

to convert- to change one thing into another

to modify- to make changes or improvements

to shift- to move something to the side

to transform- to change completely

To deal with change:

to adapt- to change one’s behavior to fit new
circumstances

to adjust- very similar to adapt; to make minor
changes in course or actions to fit new circumstances

The process of change:

cycle- recurring changes, circling around and back again

evolution- gradual change as time passes

fluctuation(s)- changes back and forth or up and
down, in waves

revolution- sudden, often violent change

transition- a gradual change form one condition
to another

To change for better or worse:

to decline- to slowly get worse (it can also
mean to refuse)

to degenerate- to become worse (physically or morally) or lose value over time

to improve- to get better

to optimize- to make as good (as near optimum)
as possible

to recover- to return to a better condition
after a problem or illness

To get bigger or smaller:

to contract- to get smaller (pull into a smaller
form)

to decrease- to get smaller in size or numbers

to diminish- to reduce something (make it
smaller)

to expand- to get bigger (spread out; opposite
of contract)

to increase- to get bigger (opposite of
decrease)

to maximize- to make something as big as
possible

to minimize- to make something as small as
possible (or make it seem smaller)

to reduce- make something smaller

Other common forms
of these words:

(to ____ marks a
verb; a _____ (or an _____) is a noun; the rest are adjectives):

adaptable, an adaptation,

adjustable, an adjustment,

altered, an alteration,

an amendment,

a contraction,

a conversion (a change
into a different form or a different religion), a convert (a person who has
been converted),

a decline,

a decrease, decreasing,

diminishing,

to evolve, evolutionary,

an expansion, expansive,

to fluctuate,

an improvement,

an increase,

increasing (as
well as the adverb increasingly),

(a) maximum (n. or adj.),

minimal, (a)
minimum (n. or adj.),

optimized,

a recovery,

a reduction,

a revolt, to revolt (means
to start a revolution; to revolve means to turn in circles, as wheels on a car
turn when it moves), revolutionary,

a shift (this can mean a change OR a rotating change in the workforce in jobs that run 24 hours: the "day shift", the "evening" shift, and the late night or "graveyard shift") , shifting,

(transit is a noun meaning
transportation, not change), transitional,

a transformation, transformative

Frequent word
combinations for social change vocabulary:

·
diminishing returns (on an investment or
proposed program-- so that it is no longer worthwhile)

·
the business cycle

·
an economic adjustment (often used as a way of
explaining why something bad happens-- lay-offs and job losses, for example, to
compensate or respond to business losses)

·
economic fluctuations,
expansion, contraction, or recovery

·
minor (or extreme) fluctuations (in the stock
market or in prices)

·
a transitional government

·
Traditional institutions or authoritarian governments
can evolve into (undergo a gradual transition to) more contemporary or
democratic ones; if they resist change; pressure may mount until there is a
revolution--a total transformation.

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